Viola Davis was “glad” she didn’t know Michael Jordan personally requested her to play his mother in AIR.

Directed by Ben Affleck, the biographical sports drama chronicles the development of the Air Jordan shoe collection.

Affleck recently revealed Jordan only wanted Davis to portray his mum Deloris Jordan in the project, and during an appearance at the SXSW festival in Austin, Texas, she admitted she was “flattered” by the news.

“I’m just hearing about it now,” she told People on the red carpet. “So yeah, so it blew my mind. I’m glad I didn’t know about it before.”

In addition, Davis’s husband Julius Tennon – who plays James Jordan Sr. – agreed that it was a “pretty awesome” piece of casting.

As for her preparation for the role, the Oscar-winning actress noted that she spent a lot of time watching footage of Deloris and her family.

“I use the term zen neutrality with her. Someone who just moves calmly through life, making major decisions, slaying dragons, making dreams come true. But doing it calmly and succinctly. Yeah, that’s not me,” the 57-year-old continued.

AIR, also starring Matt Damon, Marlon Wayans, and Jason Bateman, will premiere in the U.S. on 5 April.

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